Angled Aircraft Ground Power Connector Housing
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft ground power connectors apply side loads to the receptacle due to misalignment with the aircraft fuselage and fail to mitigate momentary voltage drops caused by current surges, making them difficult to install and potentially detrimental to aircraft systems.
Innovation Solution
The connector features a housing with two angled portions to reduce mechanical stress and includes a capacitor to maintain nominal voltage levels during current surges, ensuring stable power delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the connector housing is aligned with both the cable axis and receptacle axis, then the connector can be simply designed, but it causes full cable weight to be exerted as side stress load on the receptacle
Solution Approach 1:
The connector housing is divided into two distinct portions: a first housing portion aligned with the cable axis and a second housing portion aligned with the receptacle axis. This segmentation allows each portion to independently handle its specific alignment requirement, resolving the contradiction between simple design and stress reduction by creating a two-part structure that addresses both concerns separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector introduces an angular dimension between the cable axis and receptacle axis by positioning the two housing portions at a specific angle relative to each other. This dimensional change allows the connector to accommodate the non-planar fuselage surface and angled receptacle installation while preventing side loads from being transmitted to the receptacle.
2Reliability
If the receptacle is positioned at an angled location difficult for ground personnel to reach, then the aircraft systems can be protected, but the connector becomes particularly difficult to insert and remove
Solution Approach 1:
The connector housing is designed with dynamic flexibility that allows it to adapt to the angled receptacle position. The two-portion housing structure enables the connector to be maneuvered into the difficult-to-reach angled location and then locked securely, facilitating both easy operation during installation/removal and reliable protection during operation.
3Device complexity
If no capacitor is provided in the connector, then the device complexity is reduced, but momentary voltage drops occur at the receptacle during current surges
Solution Approach 1:
A capacitor is incorporated into the connector circuitry to preliminarily store electrical energy before current surges occur. This preliminary energy storage capability allows the capacitor to discharge and maintain stable voltage at the receptacle during momentary current surges, resolving the contradiction between device complexity and voltage stability by adding a relatively simple energy storage element.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The angled design minimizes mechanical stress and facilitates easier installation, while the capacitor effectively mitigates voltage drops, ensuring reliable power supply to aircraft systems.
Implementation Method 1
The connector further comprises at least one capacitor which is electrically connected to said electrical circuit and is charged by current in the circuit to the predetermined nominal voltage level, the capacitor discharging into the electrical circuit upon the voltage at the ground power receptacle falling below the predetermined nominal voltage level to mitigate the voltage drop at the receptacle.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft ground power connector for use in an aircraft ground power support system providing electrical power from a ground power unit through a ground power cable to the ground power receptacle of a parked aircraft. The axis of the portion of the connector housing which engages the aircraft ground power receptacle is angled relative to the axis of the portion of the housing which receives the ground power cable to minimize mechanical stress on the aircraft ground power receptacle when the connector is installed therein and to render the connector easier to insert and remove from the aircraft receptacle. Additionally, the ground power connector includes a capacitor connected to an electrical circuit within the connector supplying do voltage to the aircraft ground power receptacle to mitigate momentary voltage drops at the receptacle resulting from momentary surges in current demand by the aircraft.